About Damn Time
by Melissy123
Summary: They were a team, they had been together for years, not that that relationship had progressed any further than that. But what happens when the bus is infiltrated and they are left to fend for themselves? Nothing good. Well, not initially. Life and death situations are good for revealing ones true feelings. Fitz/Simmons!


_**NOTES: Uh yeah, so, I** **don't normally publish ANY of the stories I write. Like, ever. This is a first time and I am REALLY close to starting up my life as a hermit. So... yeah... I just thought I'd put that out there. Anyways, I don't own any thing to do with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, that all lies with Marvel, ABC and the almighty leader Joss Whedon. **_

About Damn Time

_Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D – A FitzSimmons Fanfiction_

As an employee of S.H.I.E.L.D Jemma Simmons always expected danger. It was just a part of the job description. They dealt with the weirdest of the weird: aliens, gods, super-soldiers, billionaires in metal suits, of course there was going to be danger. But maybe deep down she always thought they would be protected. She and Fitz were scientists, the brains behind all of these operations, it never occurred to her that either one of them could be seriously injured. She should have known better.

It was only meant to be a routine, retrieval mission. She and Fitz weren't even needed for the retrieving part, Coulson had told them to stay put, and they did. For the rest of them, it was simple, a walk in the park for agents as experiences as them. Ward even looked bored as he handed over the device to her and Fitz for tests, and all the fun stuff that _they_ signed up for. It was supposed to be simple. They had done plenty of missions the same before: locate the alien technology, extract it, run the necessary tests, hand it over to the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D for what was usually destruction. Except this time, it wasn't. There was one thing none of them took into account. At least, not since they had all started functioning like a proper team. A team they thought _she_ was a part of. Ward was right from the beginning, they should never have let Skye join the team. She was too much of a liability, and now, well, they paid for it. Maybe it really was easier not to trust, especially if you never actually knew them to begin with.

It all happened so fast. Somehow, someway Rising Tide operatives had managed to infiltrate the bus, their multi-billion dollar aircraft, without any of them noticing a single thing out of place. That was the advantage to alien technology she supposed. There was no way they would have been able to make it past agents Coulson, May or Ward without it. They did though, and they had a plan. The priority was the alien technology; it was just a matter of getting in and getting out, as quickly as possible. Skye, as uncertain as she was about everything, was responsible for distracting Ward, he was their biggest threat. Having been discussing logistics at the time, Coulson and May were locked into the cockpit. Their enemy was not completely stupid, they had enough intel to know that those three were the only members of the team with combat training. They also knew that the three would not be kept out of the picture for long, they were much too skilled for that. Time was of the essence. They moved swiftly, there were only a few of them but they were well-trained, and with their small crew it was more than enough. Besides, only one was needed to go after the untrained-in-combat scientists, pouring over the alien device alone in their lab. They may as well have been lambs to the slaughter.

Fitz heard them first. She had no idea how he had done it, perhaps being around all the combat-ready operatives was beginning to rub off on him. Whatever it was, he knew something was wrong. Ignoring her protests, he ripped all the cords and wires from the device and pushed it into her hands, a look on his face she had seen all too often in the past few months: fear. Simmons only just had time to slide the device into her pocket before her fellow scientist had grabbed her hand and began moving towards the second set of doors at the back of their lab. She could see what he wanted to do, if they could get out of the lab they could seal the doors behind them and maybe, just maybe, give themselves the opportunity to escape and regroup with the others. It was a good idea, unfortunately though, they just didn't have the time to implement it. A rather large, military-type man burst into the room, his eyes cold as he pointed a gun at them, and yelled commands that Simmons could only barely comprehend. Her mind was running at a thousand miles an hour, trying to think of any way they could escape, something they could do. There were so many thoughts rushing through her brain that everything else just refused to sink in. Fitz moved himself so that he stood in front of her slightly. After that, everything was almost like a blur to her. One moment he was attempting to convince the man they had no idea where the device was, the next she was being shoved out of the way as a deafeningly loud bang echoed around the room. That was when Simmons realised something: she was no longer standing in the lab. The distinct sound of a door sliding shut behind her and locking into place reached her ears, and Simmons could have sworn she stopped breathing. She hoped to whatever god or gods that were listening that when she turned around Fitz would be there; his face full of pride, as it always was when he accomplished something amazing. She knew better though. Barely able to control her breathing, Simmons turned around, and through the glass of the tightly shut door, looked back into their lab. And there he was, her precious lab-partner, her best-friend in the world, a man she was quite sure she was in love with, looking as accomplished as she thought he would. The only difference was, as he slumped over the manual controls, that he had a bullet in his chest. She screamed.

A look of utter fury passed over the face of their enemy, but he didn't bother trying to get through the doors to reach her. He seemed to know better. Not sparing Fitz a second glance, the man stormed out of the laboratory, leaving the engineer to slip to the ground, blood soaking through his shirt and pooling around him. But still, a glimmer of pride remained on his pale face.

"FITZ!" cried Simmons, tears streaming down her cheeks. He didn't answer. His eyes fluttered slightly, and then, finally, they slid shut. "NO, FITZ! LEO! LEO, WAKE UP!" Tiredly, his eyes opened again. She punched in the codes to the doors that separated them, but to her horror, nothing happened. _'Access denied'_. She tried again. _'Access denied'_. A gurgled chuckle came from the lab.

"No…" she whispered, realisation setting in. He must have changed the codes. It would have taken him only seconds, he must have done it to make sure she couldn't get back in. He knew her better than anyone else, of course he knew how she would react, that she would forget all about the alien device in her pocket and their duty, and that all she would want to do is help him. He wanted to give her a chance to run. He wanted to protect her. But she refused to leave him, she couldn't. "Leo, tell me what the codes are. Let me help you, PLEASE!"

"Don't- don't bother, Jem," he muttered. His pained voice sounding through her earpiece, "Just- just go."

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU."

His normally bright blue eyes were dull as his head moved to look at her, "Go, Jemma please," he pleaded.

She shook her head furiously and banged her hands against the door, as if hoping they would give under her fists, "NO! NO, I WON'T. YOU LET ME IN RIGHT NOW LEO FITZ."

He coughed, the sound rattling his entire body as blood slipped from his mouth. She choked slightly, falling to her knees as she leaned against the glass. There was a sound behind her, but she was barely paying attention. She probably should have been. Fitz's eyes widened slightly and it was only that, that made Simmons spin her head around. The same man who had shot Fitz without a care was now pointing a gun at her. She paled, but didn't move. Not that there was anywhere to go. This was all her fault; she was the one who had insisted they take this job in the first place. She said it would be an adventure, that it would be fun, and now Fitz was dying. He was dying, bleeding out of their lab floor, because of her and she didn't even have the courtesy to make his sacrifice- she cringed at the thought- worth it. She was completely and utterly hopeless.

"Where is the device?" commanded the man, his dark eyes watching her every movement as he threatened her.

She didn't answer, and he growled slightly. He moved to step forward but out of nowhere, came Ward, swift and silent, disarming the man with ease. His elbow cracked across the man's jaw and like a stone in a river, he dropped to the ground, no longer conscious. Ward's face was hard as he stripped the man of his weapons before practically throwing him into a storage close and locking it. After what seemed like forever, he turned to Simmons. She was watching him almost numbly. She thought she might have seen a flash of concern cross his face, but she wasn't sure. She was never sure with Ward. "Are you alright?" he asked, quietly. In the short amount of time they had all worked together they really had become almost like a family. Sure, they had days when they didn't get along, but whether he admitted it or not, Ward was like that terrifying big brother that chased away all the bullies. Except this time, he might have been too late.

She shook her head, her eyes falling to the now unconscious Fitz. "He- he was shot," she managed to get out, her voice shaking.

Ward looked into the laboratory, and this time Simmons was positive she saw concern pass over his face. He moved to open the doors, but like they had with her, they remained closed. Simmons let out a sob, "He changed the codes! It won't- we can't-"

Ward swore, and immediately he turned to his earpiece, "Status report?"

Coulson's voice sounded through, "The craft is secure, all enemies have been captured and neutralised."

"Good, because someone needs to get to the lab _now_. Fitz has been hit, he's down."

There was a long moment of silence before a tight voice replied, "Understood."

With a sigh, Ward turned back to the distraught bio-chemist. Her eyes were unfocused as she knelt as close to the doors as she possibly could. Tears continued to stream down her face, smudging her make-up, but she didn't care, in fact, she barely even noticed. Again, Ward found himself sighing. "Come on," he said, gently, pulling the scientist to her feet.

Simmons tried to pull out of his grip, shaking her head, "No. No, I won't leave him. I can't. I won't. No. This is already my fault; I need to stay with him."

"And you can, but you can't stay here. If he's changed the codes you know you won't be able to get through from this side. We're just going to go around."

Simmons still looked unsure, but slowly she nodded. All she wanted to be was by Fitz's side. He needed her.

They only got so far before Coulson intercepted them, his face carefully devoid of emotion. He looked at Simmons, "Did you get the device?"

The scientist had to take in a deep breath to stop herself from doing anything stupid. She wanted to scream and yell at him, tell him he should be more concerned with Fitz than some stupid piece of alien technology. She didn't though. Silently, she pulled the device from her pocket and handed it over to Coulson. Without a word he slipped it into his suit and it disappeared from view. Immediately his face softened, "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer. "I just want to see Fitz." Simmons tried moving around him, but again, Coulson blocked her path.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

A cold feeling spread throughout her body. Ignoring him, Simmons pushed past the agent and ran the rest of the way to the lab, blood pounding in her ears. He hadn't moved an inch. In fact, if possible, he looked even paler since last she saw him. May knelt by his side, but Simmons wasn't paying her any attention. All she could see was Fitz, and blood, so much blood. A tiny scream left her and stumbling forwards she fell to the ground next to him. May gave her a long look, but said nothing.

"I-is he going to b-be alright?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"We need to get him to the ground ASAP," said May, unwilling to promise the girl anything.

Simmons could read between the lines. It was not looking good. She whimpered, and ignoring the blood around her, she leaned her head down to rest against his shoulder. Her fingers came up to brush against his cheek lightly, and that was when she noticed it: he had stopped breathing. She froze and May jumped to her feet, bursting into action, throwing orders at Coulson who ran from the room. Simmons felt like her entire world was crumbling around her. This was wrong, it was all wrong.

"Get her out of here," growled May, her gaze flickering to Ward briefly.

He nodded, and with careful but firm hands, pulled Simmons away from Fitz's body.

"NO!" she screamed, shaking her head and trying to resist his attempts to force her to leave. He was too strong for her though. She only got one more fleeting glance of Fitz as May and a returning Coulson tended to him, before Ward managed to drag her away.

"Let them look after him, Simmons," he said, pulling her through the empty corridors, "If anyone can help him, it's them."

Skye looked up as the two entered the sitting room, the guilt clear in her eyes. Simmons didn't notice. The hacker knew everything though; she had an earpiece like everyone else. She knew what had happened to Fitz, though one look at Simmons and she probably would have been able to guess anyway. Ward shot her a look even colder than ice.

Swallowing, Skye got to her feet, "Simmons-"

"Don't," snapped Ward, cutting her off before she could even get started, "Save your apologies for your interrogators."

"I didn't mean for-"

Simmons frowned, "What's going on?" Her reddened eyes switching between Ward and Skye, waiting for some kind of an answer, but both remained silent. She was not in the mood for secrets though. Not after everything that had happened. The last of the scientist's control slipped. "Fitz is lying in our lab right now _dying_! If you know something you will tell me!" she yelled, the tears slipping from her eyes not taking away from the command in her tone.

"I-" Skye took in a deep breath, bracing herself, "It was me," she said, quietly. "I helped Rising Tide get onto the bus, gave them the intel they needed, I- I thought-" She sighed, and looked to an eerily quiet Simmons pleadingly, "I don't know what I thought, but I didn't expect them to do this, I swear. They said they wouldn't hurt anyone, they said-"

"Are you really that stupid," interrupted the normally cheery bio-chemist, her voice chillingly cold, "They're a group of rogue hackers, terrorists, all they want is the alien technology for themselves. They will wreak havoc and terror upon the masses, dictate things as _they want them to be_. The fact that you believed anything else makes you a fool. They don't care about you, not really. All they want is the technology, and they will do _anything_ to get that, even kill-" She broke off abruptly, almost choking on her words. A sob tore through her body and even Skye found tears welling up in her eyes.

"Simmons, please, " she begged, "I am so, so sor-"

"NO! You betrayed us! We were a team, a family, we were nothing but kind to you AND YOU THREW IT ALL AWAY LIKE IT WAS NOTHING. And now Fitz is-" She sucked in a shaky breath, "And now Fitz is fighting for his life, because he took a bullet that in all likelihood should have hit _me_." Skye flinched, and finally, Simmons broke. All of it was just too much. Her legs gave out from underneath her and Ward barely had any time to catch her before she fell; her cries shook her entire body and the tears continued to stream down her face ruthlessly. Without a word, Ward swept her up into his arms and moved to carry her to her bunk, but as distraught as she was, that wasn't where she wanted to go. He meant well as he placed her lightly down onto her bed and told her to get some rest, but really, he should have known better.

It was in Fitz's room, after they finally came into land at a S.H.I.E.L.D base of operations, that May found Simmons. The girl looking smaller than ever curled up in the centre of her partner's bed, his pillow clutched in her hand and her eyes shut tightly in an uneasy sleep. She sighed. Things were not about to get any easier for her.

It felt like an eternity after May had woken her before Simmons was finally allowed in to see Fitz. According to the doctors she had constantly harassed while he was in surgery, he was _extremely_ lucky the bullet had not hit any vital organs, and perhaps, more importantly, that May and Coulson were there to work as quickly as they did. The medical staff had no doubts that had they not been there than Fitz would be dead. A fact which Simmons was unlikely to ever forget any time soon. He was unconscious when she was allowed access to his room, and would probably remain so for a few days yet apparently, _but he was alive_. The memory of him covered in blood, not breathing, was still fresh in her mind. The moment she saw him Simmons was not ashamed to admit that she burst into tears once more. He was so pale and small, engulfed by the white blankets that surrounded him, it was only the steady beat of his heart through the monitor that assured her he was indeed alive. Letting out a breath, Simmons sunk into the chair that sat next to his bed. He was going to be okay, he was alive. Her heart loosened just that little bit more.

No one knew how much the silence in the room terrified her. They didn't understand, she and Fitz were inseparable. Always had been, that was why people, even the Director, referred to them as a single entity. They were FitzSimmons, and they were always working on something, testing something. Simmons could honestly say she couldn't remember the last time Fitz was so quiet. It just seemed so wrong. Even when he was sleeping, every now and again he would mumble some kind of techno-babble that probably only she would understand, he would shuffle around and make himself more comfortable. It was peaceful. But now, all that filled the room was the sound of his heartbeat. He was so silent and still, it made her want to all over cry again. She didn't leave him though.

Simmons didn't leave his side once in the time Fitz spent unconscious. She outright refused. She wanted to stay with him until he woke up, and no one was insane enough to try and make her leave. She may only be a scientist but she could be downright scary when she wanted to be.

A groan filled the room, and Fitz grimaced slightly before _finally_ his eyes opened. Simmons gasped, jumping to her feet, "You're awake!" she said, excitedly, "How do you feel? Are you okay? Should I get a doctor?" she rambled, unable to stop herself.

Fitz blinked tiredly, but answered each of her questions nonetheless, "I feel like I've been shot. Bloody hell, let me tell you, it is _much_ worse than those immunisations that S.H.I.E.L.D makes us take. Yes, I'm fine. And no, don't go get a doctor." His Scottish accent even thicker than usual in his exhaustion.

Simmons felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her, she felt lighter than air, and yet, for what she was sure the thousandth time in the last two days, tears began to fall from her eyes. Fitz looked at her in horror, "Simmons, what-"

Careful of his injury she wrapped an arm around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder, he immediately quietened. "I thought you were going to die, " she mumbled.

"Jemma…"

She pulled back, the tears staining her face, "I thought you were going to die and I didn't get to-" She broke off, and without any kind of warning whatsoever shot forwards and crashed her lips into his. For a long moment, Fitz was frozen, his eyes wide in shock. Terrified she had ruined their friendship forever, Simmons was about to pull away but then his hand closed around her wrist and finally, _finally_ he started kissing her back. Ignoring the pain that ran through him as he moved, he sat up slightly and pulled her even closer, his hands on her lower back as hers tangled in his hair. She sighed, happily. It was everything it was supposed to be and so, _so_ much more. His soft lips moved against hers, and Simmons was positive that if it was physically possible, she would have stayed with him like that forever. Unfortunately though, it wasn't. Breathless, she pulled away. "I love you Leo Fitz," she murmured, leaning her forehead against his.

He grinned, "I love you too Jemma Simmons." His lips touched hers again, but only briefly, "Always have, always will."

No one, not even Nick Fury, commented on the fact that when they came to check on Fitz hours later, Simmons was there, curled into his side, both sleeping soundly on the bed.

"It's about damn time," muttered the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, shaking his head and walking away. It was a wonder they had taken this long to begin with.


End file.
